Thursday, January 23, 2014

Sometimes I'm hit with an incurable case of wanderlust. I would do anything to roam around the streets of some far off town, to climb cliffs that lead to secret civilizations, to browse the curiosities of some bizarre bazaar... whenever I get this feeling (given that I haven't won the lottery that day) you can find me in my bed fort, with a much more affordable solution than a spontaneous plane ticket.

If you're not in the mood for reading, maybe watching a movie about adventures is a better plan. I suggest the Lord of the Rings movies. Extended edition, if you want an excuse to stay in bed for a loooong time. It's totally worth it. (Also, there's a drinking game, if you want a different LotR experience.)

Friday, January 17, 2014

Pottermore has more chapters. Basically, if you are a Harry Potter fan, you have to try Pottermore. Have to. There's no getting out of it. If for nothing more than the sorting quiz. (Hufflepuff pride!)

Friday, January 10, 2014

Have you ever had a day where it felt like you just kept finding things that worked perfectly for how you felt? That was my day today. These four images are from four different blogs, but they are blowing my mind with how well they work together.

This person made an installation of origami koi fish, and shared her process on instructables. I've been wanting to do something like this in my home for a long time, so this is really inspirational to me. It's just so playful.

Okay, so, if you're a fan of Percy Jackson, and have also read the Kane Chronicles (Rick Riordan's other series, dealing with Egyptian legends rather than Greek), then this short story by Riordan is a must read. A quote, to give you a taste of that wonderful humor that this author has mastered:

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

I like to have fun on my new years, so I try to do new projects to celebrate. Last year I made some cupcakes which turned out... unique. This year I did something much less time consuming, and made a pinata! And not just any old pinata. This pinata doubles as a plumbob!

Things you need:

Toilet paper rolls, or old wrapping paper rolls // confetti // candy

tissue paper // masking tape // scotch tape // graph paper

pencil or marker // scissors

Make a very long triangle for your
pattern. Keep in mind the eventual shape while drawing this out. Using
graph paper makes this super easy, but I suppose with a ruler you could
also use just regular line paper.

Trace it onto your cardboard. I
found that the wrapping paper tube will rip a bit, but its not really
going to effect your project much in the end. The great thing about
triangles is you can nestle them in with each other.

Cut your triangles
out. The great thing about this project is that your cuts don’t have to be
razor precise. As long as you’ve got the basic angles, everything should be all
right. You can see in my example that one of my corners is cut off. No big
deal. Tape fixes everything. And then
you’ll have an army of triangles. (In this case, for the shape we’re
making, our army is 12 strong).

Now its time to construct our shape. We’re going to use 6 pieces
for the top, and 6 for the bottom, taping
them together on the long side first. Lay the tape underneath and place the
triangles a few millimeters apart. If it helps, try drawing out a picture first
to help yourself know what goes where.

Once you’ve gotten everything
together and reinforced, show off your beautiful creations. Congratulations,
you’ve created a Madonna bra. Or some mountains.

Add some tape to the side you think is the strongest, to connect the
two pieces. I guess not everyone wants to be Madonna. That’s cool, neither
did I.

Fill up one side with your goodies! This is the messiest step. It
might be best to do it over a trash can or a tray or something. Also, if you’re
putting in some candy, make sure to sample it. Wouldn’t want to poison anyone.

Time to tape around the edges, connecting the two. The last step
was the messiest, and this is the most annoying. If you’re anything like me, eventually
the thing will collapse a little. Don’t worry, it will all be hidden by fringe
in the end.

Add your string. I taped it down with the end hanging an inch out,
and then flipped it up and taped it again. That seemed to work decently well.
Also, you could do this step anytime after step 5… though I wouldn’t suggest
doing it right after step 8. Could be problematic.

Tape on the fringe. I feel like this should have more pictures. I covered the bottom tip first, by
winding around a strip of the paper I was using. Then I wound my way up to the top, adding a piece of scotch tape to
every side of the shape. When I got to the middle, I had to add another piece
of whole paper to the bottom of the top cone, so I could preserve the
geometric-ness of the shape.

Enjoy! I
actually bought a dollar Lego set to put in with the confetti, so when we
busted it open we had to go on a hunt for pieces, and then construct the
vehicle without instructions. Totally worth it.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Get married.
Because there's a man that was crazy enough to propose, so I better get this done with before he changes his mind. :]Draw every day.
Tried this last year, it worked... okay. Round two!Pay more attention to my health.
How can something so simple be the hardest goal?Sell some art.
It's time my degree started working for a living.Take more pictures of important things.
Like my cat... or my family.Get some fresh flowers.Get one BIG project done.
Lots of projects floating around.Eat more Mexican food.
Because... yum.Finish some video games.
Cause I have an addiction to video games you can't win.Laugh more.
Laugh lines be damned.